One year in office: Modi fails Muslims, minorities

Completing one year in office, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by Narendra Modi, has failed to satisfy India Muslims, who say that the far-right premier has failed to deliver on his promises or create a sense of security among minorities.

“Hindu hardliners raked-up issues like ‘ghar wapsi’ and ‘love jihad’ only to target the Muslim community and made many hateful remarks against them. But Modi has done nothing to stop them,” Mohammed Mahir of Muslim Vikas Parishad, known as Muslim Development Council, an organization working for the development of Muslims in central India, told OnIslam.net.

“I think he should rein in leaders of his own party and Hindu groups who have been trying to create a sense of insecurity among the minorities. There have been many instances where Muslims have become a target of Hindu fanatics.

“Leaders backed by radical Hindu group Rashtriya Sweyamsewak Sangh, an ideological wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, have been openly targeting Muslims and Christians, and it was Modi’s duty as the Prime Minister to stop them from such acts, but we have yet to see it.”

May 26 marked the end of Modi's first year as prime minister, an office he was catapulted into by voters believing in his development agenda.

Known as a hardliner and involvement in Muslim massacre in Gujarat in 2002, when he was the chief minister of that state, Modi has failed to create a sense of security among minorities especially Muslims in India.

Reportedly, a majority of Muslim scholars and commoners feel that even after becoming the prime minister, Modi’s heart is for Hindus, and that he should broaden the scope of his governing toward one that is all-inclusive.

Masood Ahmed Khan, Secretary of the Coordination Committee for Indian Muslims, feels that one year is too short a time to judge someone’s performance.

Khan stated that, “Modi has so far not taken even a single decision aimed at the betterment of the minority communities.”

Representing more than 20 percent of total 1.2 billion population, Indian Muslims complain that they are often discriminated against in the job market jobs or when they seek housing or higher education.

A majority of the Indian Muslim community are also poor and uneducated.

Reports indicate that the status of Muslims in India is even worse than that of the so-called secluded castes and tribes; India’s most deprived and underprivileged communities.

The Indian constitution provides reservation in jobs and education to the underprivileged, but Muslims don’t enjoy any such benefits.

Further, there are increasing reports that Modi's government has ignored the targeting of Muslims by Hindu zealots.

There are reports that radical Hindus have used issues like love-jihad and ghar wapsi to target Muslims.

Love-jihad is a fictitious term used frequently this past year to harass Muslims, creating a stereotypical climate within the community at-large.

The common perception among Muslims is that Modi cannot be trusted and that he needs demonstrate concern for each and every citizen, irrespective of religious affiliation.

When Modi was elected, the biggest fear for Muslims was that their lives would be adversely affected.

Modi has also been criticized for his failure to stop the 2002 Gujarat riots that killed more than 2,000 people, the majority being Muslims.